Military Order of Foreign Wars
The Medal The Revolutionary War Commemorative Medal was licensed by the Military Order of Foreign Wars to recognize the contribution of America’s military and naval forces in securing the independence of the United States.
Period of Service
This medal recognizes military service between April 19, 1775, when the British redcoats clashed with the Massachusetts militia at Lexington and September 3, 1783, when the Paris Peace Treaty became final.
Designer
The Revolutionary War Commemorative Medal was designed by Nadine Russell, the Chief of Creative Heraldry at the Army’s Institute of Heraldry and the designer of many of this Nation’s campaign and service medals. This medal was privately commissioned by the Military Order of Foreign Wars.
Symbolism
Obverse
In the center of a bronze medallion, there is a shield with a chevron of thirteen bars. In the center of the shield three canon balls are superimposed over a compass rose. Beneath the shield there is a double spray of young oak. The shield and oak spray are enclosed within a ring of pellets, and between the ring of pellets and the edge of the medal is the raised inscription REVOLUTIONARY WAR in the upper half, and the dates 1775 – 1783 at the bottom.
The shield is suggested by Admiralty Seal of the Continental Navy, and reflects the birth of the United States Navy. The chevron of thirteen bars mutually supporting each other is adapted from the Admiralty Seal and is symbolic of the newly formed United States. The three canon balls in the center of the shield and the ring of pellets that surround it are adapted from the War Office Seal and represent the unit of purpose of the Services. The stylized compass rose behind the three canon balls highlights the vital and far-ranging roles that the Armed Services of the young Nation played in the Revolutionary War and the importance of materiel and logistics to the New Republic. The branches of oak below the shield symbolize potential, strength, and tenacity.
Reverse
The reverse bears the seal of the Military Order of Foreign Wars: In the center of a bronze medallion, a shield bearing four swords pointing downward, two at an angle from the left, and two at an angle from the right. Above the swords is an American eagle with its wings spread, shown behind a battlement. Behind the shield is a field of thirteen stars amid a cloud formation, and above the shield is a mural circlet from which arises an arm in armor holding four thunderbolts. Beneath the shield is a banner bearing the motto, DEUS ET LIBERTAS, and beneath the banner appears the date 1894 (the date being separated, right and left). Surrounding the entire central theme is another banner, this one bearing the inscription, MILITARY ORDER OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES, and surrounding this banner is a circle of bullets.
Ribbon
The ribbon is adapted from the Army and Navy streamers for the Revolutionary war and employ the same color combination. The ribbon is scarlet with a center stripe of white. The scarlet stands for sacrifice, and the single white stripe stands for both the first war in which the United States was officially engaged and the noble nature of its cause.
Campaigns
Army
The Continental Army was plagued with problems and deficiencies from the beginning to the end, including State militias that were poorly trained and in many cases, poorly led. Washington’s own staff was inadequate in size and experience. Supplies were in chronically short supply. The situation was so bad that when Washington’s Army encamped at Valley Forge for the winter of 1777-78 the lack of food and clothing led him to fear a mutiny. Weapons and powder were likewise in short supply, and Washington was well aware that because of its deficiencies his army could not conduct frontal assaults against the British, nor could they outflank them once they were engaged in battle. As a result, Washington’s primary tactic was to wear the enemy down with swift raids and the use of light infantry. In spite of almost insurmountable problems and hardships, the Continental Army ultimately prevailed. The Army’s battle streamer for the Revolutionary War is embroidered with the following sixteen actions:
Yorktown 1781
Navy
Beginning with actions in coastal waters in 1775, and followed by Commodore Esek Hopkins’ 1776 amphibious assault to capture military stores at New Providence, Bahamas, and reaching a climax in 1781 when French fleet action off the Virginia Capes led to victory at Yorktown, the war at sea was decisive in the Nation’s struggle for independence. America’s small and fragmented naval forces lacked the capability to engage in major fleet actions, but their contributions were none the less crucial to failure or success of the war. General Washington’s fleet of schooners, the Continental Navy, State navies, and privateers captured numerous enemy merchant ships to provide vitally needed supplies for the hard-pressed Continental Army. On occasion armed vessels transported Washington’s troops and joined in the defense of such important port cities as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. American naval officers, including John Barry, Nicholas Biddle, Abraham Whipple, and Joshua Barney, carried the patriotic cause to sea against the overwhelming strength of Britain’s Royal Navy. Operations in European waters, especially John Paul Jones’ celebrated Bonhomme Richard – Serapis battle, even brought the war to England’s own shores. The Navy’s battle streamer bears two silver stars for the ten actions listed below.
Randolph-Yarmouth (March 7, 1776)
Ranger-Drake (April 24, 1778)
Bonhomme Richard-Serapis (September 23, 1779)
Other Single Ship Operations
Transport and Packet Operations